Isotherms, kinetics and thermodynamic mechanism of methylene blue dye adsorption on synthesized activated carbon.

The treatment of methylene blue (MB) dye wastewater through the adsorption process has been a subject of extensive research. However, a comprehensive understanding of the thermodynamic aspects of dye solution adsorption is lacking. Previous studies have primarily focused on enhancing the adsorption capacity of methylene blue dye. This study aimed to develop an environmentally friendly and cost-effective method for treating methylene blue dye wastewater and to gain insights into the thermodynamics and kinetics of the adsorption process for optimization. An adsorbent with selective methylene blue dye adsorption capabilities was synthesized using rice straw as the precursor. Experimental studies were conducted to investigate the adsorption isotherms and models under various process conditions, aiming to bridge gaps in previous research and enhance the understanding of adsorption mechanisms. Several adsorption isotherm models, including Langmuir, Temkin, Freundlich, and Langmuir-Freundlich, were applied to theoretically describe the adsorption mechanism. Equilibrium thermodynamic results demonstrated that the calculated equilibrium adsorption capacity (qe) aligned well with the experimentally obtained data. These findings of the study provide valuable insights into the thermodynamics and kinetics of methylene blue dye adsorption, with potential applications beyond this specific dye type. The utilization of rice straw as an adsorbent material presents a novel and cost-effective approach for MB dye removal from wastewater.

Solar light driven enhanced photocatalytic treatment of azo dye contaminated water based on Co-doped ZnO/ g-C3N4 nanocomposite.

The current research concentrated on the Co-precipitation synthesis of g-C3N4 (CN), ZnO, ZnO/CN, and Co-doped ZnO/CN nanocomposite, as well as the solar light enhanced photocatalytic treatment of Reactive Red 120 (RR120) from genuine wool textile effluent. The 3D flower-like structure of Co-doped ZnO distributed on the surface of CN thin sheets, according to structural studies employing XRD and SEM examinations Electrochemical experiments exhibited that the Co-doped ZnO/CN nanocomposite has a large electroactive surface area. The optical band-gap values of CN, ZnO, ZnO/CN, and Co-doped ZnO/CN nanocomposites were 2.68, 3.13, 2.38, and 2.23 eV, respectively, according to optical characterizations. The synergistic effects and heterojunction produced by Co-doped ZnO and CN can be linked to the narrow gap in nanocomposites. After 75, 60, 50, and 40 min of exposure to solar light, photocatalytic degradation assays for 250 mL of 20 mg/L RR120 solution in the presence of CN, ZnO, ZnO/CN, and Co-doped ZnO/CN nanocomposites demonstrated 100% dye treatment. The applicability of photocatalysts for decolorization of 250 mL of 10 mg/L RR120 prepared from actual wool textile wastewater was investigated, and the results showed that Co-doped ZnO/CN nanocomposites for treatment of RR120 from actual wool textile wastewater were highly efficient at photocatalytic degradation.

In-depth systems biological evaluation of bovine alveolar macrophages suggests novel insights into molecular mechanisms underlying Mycobacterium bovis infection.

Objective: Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is a chronic respiratory infectious disease of domestic livestock caused by intracellular Mycobacterium bovis infection, which causes ~$3 billion in annual losses to global agriculture. Providing novel tools for bTB managements requires a comprehensive understanding of the molecular regulatory mechanisms underlying the M. bovis infection. Nevertheless, a combination of different bioinformatics and systems biology methods was used in this study in order to clearly understand the molecular regulatory mechanisms of bTB, especially the immunomodulatory mechanisms of M. bovis infection. Methods: RNA-seq data were retrieved and processed from 78 (39 non-infected control vs. 39 M. bovis-infected samples) bovine alveolar macrophages (bAMs). Next, weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) was performed to identify the co-expression modules in non-infected control bAMs as reference set. The WGCNA module preservation approach was then used to identify non-preserved modules between non-infected controls and M. bovis-infected samples (test set). Additionally, functional enrichment analysis was used to investigate the biological behavior of the non-preserved modules and to identify bTB-specific non-preserved modules. Co-expressed hub genes were identified based on module membership (MM) criteria of WGCNA in the non-preserved modules and then integrated with protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks to identify co-expressed hub genes/transcription factors (TFs) with the highest maximal clique centrality (MCC) score (hub-central genes). Results: As result, WGCNA analysis led to the identification of 21 modules in the non-infected control bAMs (reference set), among which the topological properties of 14 modules were altered in the M. bovis-infected bAMs (test set). Interestingly, 7 of the 14 non-preserved modules were directly related to the molecular mechanisms underlying the host immune response, immunosuppressive mechanisms of M. bovis, and bTB development. Moreover, among the co-expressed hub genes and TFs of the bTB-specific non-preserved modules, 260 genes/TFs had double centrality in both co-expression and PPI networks and played a crucial role in bAMs-M. bovis interactions. Some of these hub-central genes/TFs, including PSMC4, SRC, BCL2L1, VPS11, MDM2, IRF1, CDKN1A, NLRP3, TLR2, MMP9, ZAP70, LCK, TNF, CCL4, MMP1, CTLA4, ITK, IL6, IL1A, IL1B, CCL20, CD3E, NFKB1, EDN1, STAT1, TIMP1, PTGS2, TNFAIP3, BIRC3, MAPK8, VEGFA, VPS18, ICAM1, TBK1, CTSS, IL10, ACAA1, VPS33B, and HIF1A, had potential targets for inducing immunomodulatory mechanisms by M. bovis to evade the host defense response. Conclusion: The present study provides an in-depth insight into the molecular regulatory mechanisms behind M. bovis infection through biological investigation of the candidate non-preserved modules directly related to bTB development. Furthermore, several hub-central genes/TFs were identified that were significant in determining the fate of M. bovis infection and could be promising targets for developing novel anti-bTB therapies and diagnosis strategies.